1972 : My brother, me, and Aunt Cindy (with dog)
When I was pregnant, I bargained with the Universe. You don't know quite what you're going to get until the baby is born and develops ... I said, "I can handle a kid with Down Syndrome. I can handle a kid who's deaf. I can handle a kid with special needs. However, I'd have a really hard time having a kid with Autism." A few years ago, we found out my brother has Asperger's Syndrome. The great irony is that I'd been living with "high-functioning' autism my whole life without even realizing it!
Last year, The Wisconsin Hospital Association was collecting personal stories which provided reasons why people in health care occupations chose their careers, in hopes of inspiring others to join the field. This is the question I addressed :
Has anything happened in your career that reaffirmed your decision to work in health care?
When I was in Library School, I worked part-time in a hospital library. I liked helping people connect with the information they needed to make informed healthcare decisions. I help physicians, nurses, patients, and their families. At some point in our lives, we all need quality health information. This can significantly impact people's lives for the better. Some days, I get to do research and offer the best available evidence for a procedure or treatment, or to help change policies to improve patient care or patient safety. Some days, I help people research a new diagnosis. They find out that others have been through it, and they find a path to get themselves through it, too. That can make a tremendous difference in terms of relieving anxiety.
Consumer health librarians help patients understand their conditions and treatments, help them find communities of support, and help them locate resources for equipment, services, and financial assistance. For one example among many, I helped a patient with a new diagnosis of diabetes find a book written in plain language that told him how to get through the holidays and family gatherings on his new diet! Another patient lost his leg. His prosthesis caused him great discomfort. I was able to get him connected with The Amputee Coalition of America which offered not only support, but also options for a better fitting, more comfortable prosthesis.
I was recently reminded of how my help as a Librarian can profoundly affect people for the better in a very personal way. Last summer, my own family needed some research. At the age of 35, my brother was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. For years my family wondered why my otherwise smart brother wasn’t able to function in the world. He couldn’t hold a job, made poor decisions, didn’t have many friends, just didn't seem to fit in anywhere … Over the years as a hospital librarian, I had collected several books, handouts, and websites on Asperger’s. With this information, the pieces of the puzzle came together. Now, we know that his brain is literally wired differently. We have a whole new understanding of what to expect, what situations to beware of, how we can support him, what he needs to work on, and what he might still be able to accomplish with his life. We know what we’re dealing with now, and we’re ALL learning to cope with this form of high-functioning autism. My brother is currently earning a college degree in Physics. He’s found a community where he fits. Thus the road to recovery started at a health science library.
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